French Adaptation of the Orientation to Happiness Scale and Its Relationship to Quality of Life in French Students

Happiness is the current hot topic whether in television, press or research. For some, it is immeasurable; for others it is quantifiable and thus has numerous measurement tools. After having defined happiness, the aim of the four studies presented below is to propose a valid French adaptation of the three-dimensional Orientation to Happiness questionnaire (Peterson et al. in J Happiness Stud 6:25–41, 2005). In Study 1, successive PCA and CFA revealed that there exists a three factor structure conforming to its theoretical framework. Study 2 was used to test different models to confirm this factor structure. We found two models that proved to be adequate. The results of Study 3 demonstrate satisfactory test–retest stability for each of the three subscales. Study 4 was undertaken to test the convergent validity of the scale. Moreover, this study showed the relationship between variables linked to quality of life and behaviours closed to happiness. To summarize, the four studies together demonstrate satisfactory psychometric qualities of the scale that is now called “Échelle Francophone d’Inclinaison au Bonheur”, and show how happiness is linked to quality of life.